Vegetarian Stir-Fry Bliss

My vegetarian stir-fry recipe stems from my art school past. Why do I bring this up? Because last night we waxed nostalgic. Over olives, a wedge of Parmesan, and a bottle of Chianti, my husband and I talked about our unencumbered days at art school. The late nights painting. The crazed friends. Midnight movies at the Rialto. Jean Luc Godard. Truffaut. Fellini. And the loft parties- the drama of almost meeting Warhol (he never showed up; he was famous for it).

We talked about all that longing and envy and art student poverty mingling in a passionate virtual eddy of sensing we were a part of something big, a tidal push toward consciousness, toward peace and equality- it sounds almost quaint, doesn't it?

Though my husband was in Chicago and I was in Washington, D.C. at the time our art student days were archetypally similar. And when painting brought us together more than fifteen years later we had an instant shorthand, a shared lexicon of idealism and curiosity seasoned with an ego-checking love of irony and humor.

Two hearts unwilling to live in quiet desperation for a paycheck. An appreciation of small pleasures. Stacks of books by the bed. Years later, we still connect over ideas. We still become animated discussing film. Or music. Or books.

So I made a brown rice stir-fry. Art school style.

Vegetarian Stir-Fry Recipe (or Waxing Idealistic In the Face of Absurdity)

My recipes for stir-fry are approximations for no two stir-fries are ever truly alike in my kitchen. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Ingredients stem from what I have on hand. Seasoning is much the same. My sauce is constantly changing. Last night's was inspired by Kalyn and a stir-fry sauce she made recently, reminding me of how much I like using preserves in a stir-fry. I opened a jar of spicy jalapeño jelly from Las Cruces, New Mexico, and stirred up some fiery-sweet goodness.

Start with a pot of cooked short grain brown rice.

For the stir-fry:

2 tablespoons light olive or canola oil
1 teaspoon each: curry powder, cumin & ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle pepper, for more heat, to taste
1 red onion, sliced or diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
3-4 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 large zucchini or yellow squash, sliced into half moons
2 heaping cups shredded cabbage


For the sauce:

2/3 cup vegetable broth, heated
2-3 tablespoons green chile or jalapeño pepper jelly
1 handful fresh cilantro, loosely chopped


Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or wok and add the spices; stir for a minute to infuse the oil. Throw in the onion, garlic and veggies and stir-fry until almost tender-crisp- about 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the jelly in the hot broth. When the veggies are just about to reach that lovely tender-crisp stage, add the sauce and cilantro, and stir well. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring the veggies to coat.

Add in just enough cooked brown rice for serving, and stir to combine. I keep the ratio heavy on the veggie side, and use the rice more as a condiment.

Serves 4.

Printer-friendly recipe.